3). Banks threw a six-yard TD pass on the opening possession of overtime to beat Penn State 42-35, then moved the Hawkeyes 87 yards against the clock to beat Purdue 31-28.

4). Palmer and Dorsey are pretty good passers. Penn State's Larry Johnson and Miami's Willis McGahee are outstanding runners. Banks is both; he ran for nearly 5 yards per carry, and with 387 yards ended as Iowa's third-leading rusher.

5). Iowa was one of perhaps only two major programs with faith in Banks as a quarterback. Banks, a backup last season, helped elevate the Hawkeyes from a 1-10 record just three years ago to their first Big Ten title since 1990 and probably their first Top 10 finish since 1991.

Statistics:

G-S

Com-Att-Int

Pct.

Yards

TD

12-12

155-258-4

60.1

2,369

25

Tidbit

Banks never made excuses for his lone non-Heisman-like effort. His two third-quarter fumbles were among Iowa's three that led to 17 Iowa State points and a 36-31 loss to the Cyclones on Sept. 14. TV cameras, however, caught him in obvious discomfort with the thumb on his throwing hand, which he jammed early. He never missed a snap. "I laugh at myself," he says of the fumbles. "I think of myself as a better player than that." He'd prove it.